Playing Doctor

As I near the end of my first MFA class, I've learned several things. Most recently, the importance of an effective Artist Statement. There is a proper way of designing one, full of caveats and subtleties. It's meant as an invitation for others to experience the presentation. The work shown should demonstrate a value, a confidence of purpose, from both the artist and to the viewer. A back story to the work gives added information to help enrich the experience. As Martha Stewart said, "It's a good thing."

I have also been made aware of the importance of a central theme that unifies the presentation. Apparently, a little of this and a little of that is inappropriate, and possibly confusing to the audience. The K.I.S.S. philosophy works here. I'm yet convinced of the willingness to present multiple "similars" of the main idea as the best solution. Why show essentially the same image over and over? Why not edit it down to the very best, or show multiple solutions of the same idea? At least the artist can exhaust all creative options. Frankly, I find that more interesting and appealing. 

The results of my semester project were a distillation from the original idea of Now. I had to change it. I needed to simplify my execution, so it could help me meet a realistic production schedule. Moving away from using people in the original idea and to a still life solution seemed doable. I started looking at interesting object-driven photographs that had captured a moment in time. Sometimes the moment included motion, and was rendered either as sharp or blurred. Another option of stopping the action was done with electronic flash. Doing further research, I made my way toward ultra high-speed images and found the father of high-speed photography, Dr. Harold Edgerton. I remembered his iconic imagery from science class in high school, and felt I could do a creative (re)interpretation of Edgerton's high-speed photographs. Although most of Edgerton's notable work was presented in black and white, I opted to render my collection in both black and white and color. Here's what I came up with.

For those who are unaware of Harold Edgerton, he received his Masters and PhD in Electrical Engineering from M.I.T.. He and two colleagues designed and built new flash tubes resulting in extremely short flash durations that could stop a moving bullet tearing through the side of a playing card. Amazing. He was responsible for opening up an entire new world of photography with the use of electronic flash as a light source. His photograph, entitled Coronet, was included in MOMA's first photography exhibition in 1937. In 1939 he published "FLASH! Seeing the Unseen by Ultra-High-Speed Photography", a collection of his photography. It was an instant bestseller. In 1940, MGM invited him to make a stroboscopic high-speed motion picture with comedian Pete Smith. The ten-minute short, "Quicker 'n a Wink", won an Oscar. He also co-developed the Rapatronic camera, capable of recording the first milliseconds of an atomic blast. He was a Genius. And he loved photography. Thanks Doc, for your contributions to science, military service, and high-speed photography. I had fun playing you in my creations.